Eating your way through literature!
Velela in the Marquesas
Tasty Summer Reads Blog Hop
Posted on August 6 , 2013 by Carol@rightnowisperfect.com
Thank you, Kathleen Rollins, author of Misfits and Heroes and Past the Last Island, for inviting me to join this blog hop about fiction and food. My book, Right Now Is Perfect, is actually non-fiction, though.
While sailing across the South Pacific on a small sailboat, food soon became an obsession but our provisions were limited. Doing a lot with a few ingredients was the challenge—well one of them.
We (four of us on board) were limited in space and we had no refrigeration. We provisioned our boat in Mexico for the first and longest passage on earth. We were headed for the Marquesas in French Polynesia 2500 miles away—25 days at sea if we were lucky! Mainly we ate rice and beans cooked in a pressure cooker with part seawater part fresh water. The following recipe gives one permutation. Luckily readers can use fresh water and can add a variety of fresh condiments that –after the first week at sea–we sadly lacked.
Rice and beans makes for a cheap and healthy meal. All things considered, I’m glad we chose that combination as our staple.
Now, for the questions:
Do you snack as you write? No, I’m too easily distracted. An occasion cup of chai is all I allow myself.
Outline or seat of the pants? I have a detailed outline and every plot point has to refer back to the big picture. However, I have changed directions (and outline) while writing!
Do you stick to a recipe or wing it? I just learned something about myself. I start with good intentions of following directions, but then I wing it.
What’s next? My plan is to write a fiction set in Fiji.
How hot is it? Not at all explicit, but hopefully readers will appreciate implicit imagination.
Now, for the recipe:
Prepare pinto beans for cooking, or use canned beans. Prepare brown rice.
Sauté onions, garlic, ginger and cumin in cooking oil. Add fresh tomatoes cut in quarters (if available) or a ½ cup of tomato sauce.
When vegetables are cooked down add the beans. Simmer until flavors mingle and mixture becomes stew-like. Add vinegar (or lemon juice) and soy sauce to taste. Pour mixture over cooked brown rice. If available, sprinkle grated cheddar cheese and green onions on top.
Be sure to check out the other blogs in the hop!
Christy English Donna Russo Morin Nancy Goodman Lauren Gilbert Lucinda Brant Prue Batten Anna Belfrage Ginger Myrick Jo Ann Butler Kim Rendfeld Cora Lee Jessica Knauss Susan Spann
